After Storm Ciarán left the original November-planned day of the dead event postponed, Dorset Young Planners were delighted to hold the CPD and social last Thursday evening. The event was based around local archaeology and heritage, and its place in the planning world, including fascinating talks from: James Weir, Associate Director at tor&co; Steve Wallis, Senior Archaeologist at Dorset Council; and Bianca San Martin, Project Manager, and Abigal Bryant, Chief Commercial Officer, from Wessex Archaeology.
James explored the history of the well-loved gardens in Bloomsbury which were once burial grounds for St. Georges Gardens. He covered stories of the rapid growing interest in dissecting human bodies which led to grave-robbers, and the tightly packed graveyards which gave off nasty stenches to the surrounding community, and the ‘dancing on the dead’. James spoke of the importance of preserving such areas, rich in stories and such historical value.
Steve focussed on the executed Vikings from the Weymouth Relief Road, and the overwhelming interest received by the local community when the artifacts were put on display. He covered some interesting theories of how the Vikings may have ended up there, and touched upon the Bincombe Bumps that can be seen in Weymouth.
Final thoughts from Bianca and Abigail brought the talks of James and Steve even closer to the planner’s world, including how we can respect and preserve heritage and setting. Bianca focussed on her top tips for getting an application through whilst considering the historic environment. After a shockingly low number of hands were shown for ‘who here has a good understanding of what setting really means’, Abigail directed her talk on the definition of setting and the importance of it.
The event sadly concluded with Millie Rose stepping down from Dorset Young Planners Chair – Millie has done an excellent job solely chairing Dorset Young Planners for the past year, holding informative and engaging events such as the Canford SANG that CLP sponsored. Following her departure, we are extremely excited to announce Chapman Lily’s Phillippa has stepped up as co-chair! We are looking forward to seeing what Phillippa has in store for the planners of Dorset and wish her the best of luck!
Clare Bolton (Assistant Planner) stated; ‘the event was a great success and really engaging, with opportunities to network and share knowledge between enthusiastic professionals. A huge thank you to Millie for organising such as an informative evening and thank you to the speakers and all who attended.’
